Growth in the Belgian broadband market accelerated in the past year as more people needed a broadband connection for work, school and entertainment at home during the Covid-19 pandemic. The number of broadband subscribers rose over 3.5 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2021, according to the latest research by Telecompaper. Broadband revenues grew an even faster 4.6 percent, helped by upgrades to faster speeds and annual price increases.
The Belgian ISPs had 4.78 million broadband subscribers at the end of March, up from 4.61 million a year earlier, according to the latest edition of Telecompaper’s ‘Belgian Total Communications Market’ report for Q1 2021. Broadband revenues rose 4.6 percent to EUR 433 million in Q1, good for over a quarter of the total telecom market value.
Broadband segment outperforms
Broadband is the fastest growing segment on the Belgian market, as mobile revenues remain depressed from the pandemic effects, the TV market is saturated and facing competition from OTT services, and fixed telephony is in structural decline. The strong growth in broadband compares to a decline in total telecom revenues for Q1 2021 of 0.8 percent, to EUR 1.67 billion.
"It’s clear some of the last remaining households without broadband are finally signing up, such as seniors, low-income families and students, in order to stay connected during the coronavirus crisis," said Marion ter Welle, Telecompaper research analyst for the Belgian market and co-author of the report. "Most are turning to fixed-mobile packages, which are heavily promoted by the Belgian operators, usually opting for a double- or triple-play plan with mobile and/or TV."
2P leads growth in multi-play packages
Multi-play packages accounted for over EUR 1.1 billion in telecom revenues in Q1, up around 2 percent from a year earlier. While the double-play accounts for only around 15 percent of the multi-play revenues, it is clearly the fastest growing segment, with the number of subscribers up over 7 percent in the past year to nearly 1 million.
The quad-play meanwhile appears to be falling out of favour, with subscriber growth slowing significantly in the past year. 4P revenues turned lower for the first time in Q1, falling by nearly 10 percent year-on-year to EUR 522 million.
The above figures are from the Belgian Total Communications Market report, published on a quarterly basis by Telecompaper. The report includes operator and market data on connections, revenues and market shares for the segments broadband, mobile, TV and fixed telephony services, as well as a breakdown of business vs consumer, types of broadband technology, multi-play packages and fixed and mobile market trends. For more information about the report or a customised analysis, please contact research@telecompaper.com.
